SMK2: Here We Go Again
by CherryHearts13
Summary: The much requested for sequel to Stupid Mooching Kittens. After a mission gone wrong, the Sun Village ninja find themselves in a peculiar situation. With no memories of how they got they got there, they try to navigate their way through the Elemental Nations. But were they the only ones to make the leap over to the other dimension?
1. Time Gone By

SMK 2: HERE WE GO AGAIN

CHAPTER 1

TIME GONE BY

"Dammit, Dei! Give a girl a warning," Kim yelled at the blonde as she dove behind an upturned car for cover just in time to avoid being impaled by shattered glass; a byproduct of the man's beloved explosives. Well… mostly avoid.

The dark haired Honorary Uchiha grit her teeth in pain while pulling out the large jagged piece of glass out of her upper arm. Her right hand glowed a pale green as she concentrated her chakra into healing her wounded arm. All the while her blazing red eyes glared in the direction she knew the blonde bomber to be in.

"You would think," Deidara's voice crackled through the communication device in her ear, "that after four years, that Uchiha hatred in your blood would've died out by now." The link went silent for a moment before she saw a van in the distance explode, taking out eight more men. "Oh yeah! What happened to using codenames out in the field?"

"Huh, guess I forgot," Kim laughed, whipping out several shuriken and taking aim at just as many men. "Call me Batman!"

"I wanted to be Batman," a second male voice shouted into the link.

"Screw you man! I'm Batman," Deidara retorted.

"As the brains of the operation, that would make me Batman," Kim reasoned.

"She has a point," Jade chimed in. "If we're choosing codenames then I want Black Widow."

"No," three voices stated at once.

"What! Why?"

"She's an Avenger," Deidara informed. "The Avengers are Marvel. We're talking DC's Justice League."

"Okay then fine! I'll be… I guess I'll be Black Canary."

"I love those fishnets and boots. Very sexy," the blonde informed.

Kim looked down at her outfit. A ¾ sleeve black fishnet shirt under a short burgundy sleeveless kimono, short black spandex shorts, and a pair of black boots that went just over the knees. She shuddered. "Perv!"

"Why am I a…" he cut himself off, as he took a moment to think it over. His face grew pale. "No! I don't think you're sexy… Wait! I mean… it looks go on Black Canary. Not that it doesn't look good on you. You're totally hot. I can appreciate beauty when I see it, but I'm not attracted to you. I love Jade!" he finished lamely.

Kim burst out laughing at the poor blonde's expense.

"I love you, too, babe," Jade giggled.

"Batman, Cyborg," the second male of the group tuned in, "Can we get back to the mission? My wife's not gonna bust herself out on her own."

"Green Lantern's right! She should have been able to download all the files we need and plant the virus, by now," Kim pondered aloud. "All right guys, stick to the plan, improvise when needed. Move out!"

"Wait! Why do I have to be Cyborg?"

"At least let me be Superman!"

Three years ago

Three teenagers lay defeated on the floor of the living room in the small two bedroom apartment they shared. Bruises, scrapes, and cuts littered their exhausted, out of breath bodies.

The blonde, and only male of the group, rolled onto his stomach and then pushed himself up onto his feet. He griped the armrest of the couch to keep himself upright when he left leg momentarily gave out. Straightening up, he tested his left leg out before making his way in the direction of the bathroom using the back of the sofa for support until he made it to the alcove of a hallway. Pushing the door open, he fell heavily onto the vanity.

He stared blearily at his reflection in the mirror. He didn't recognize himself. His long blonde hair was a matted, tangled mess. His once gleaming blue eyes seemed dull. Half of his right eyebrow was burnt off. His skin was blackened by gun powder and stained with blood.

Banging his fist on the counter, he screamed, "Fuck!"

"Well, don't you look awful," a quiet voice muttered behind him.

He gave a humorless laugh. He glanced up at the mirror, taking in the sight of his teammate. "You don't look much better off."

"I bet," Kim responded, pushing Deidara out of the way and taking a seat on the counter. She reached over the sink and plucked one of the three toothbrushes off the counter. She filled the small cup with water and took a sip.

Deidara's eyes widened when he saw her spit out red water. Normally he would have made a joke about her having gingivitis, but worry consumed him. His concern must have shown on his because her next words set him at ease.

"I'm not bleeding internally if that's what you're thinking," Kim said through a mouthful of pink foam. "I didn't get hit either." She spat out the toothpaste, and rinsed out her mouth. She flashed the Blonde Bomber a Cheshire cat smile. "I made sure that bastard would remember me."

The blonde laughed. A real laugh. Leave it Kim to do something so weird. It felt good. To laugh, that is. But just as quick as the feeling came, it went. He wondered if this was what it felt like to be bi-polar. Happy on minute, sad the next. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time be worrying about that.

"How is she, and don't bother to sugar-coat."

"I don't know. Nothing I do seems to work," she stressed. "But I don't even know how." Her dark eyes grew glassy. "How? How the hell did they learn to manipulate chakra? As far as I know, we're the only ones who can."

"What if," Deidara started, staring at the girl with a leveled look. "What if we weren't the only once to come to this dimension. I mean if we came here by accident, who's to say someone else didn't."

Kim stared at him blankly, trying to process the newest possibility. She sighed. "So it's possible they have a ninja on their side."

"It might just be a coincidence. They could have figured out the secret on their own."

"I highly doubt that," she muttered. Her head tilted to the side, and Deidara followed her line of sight straight to his left arm. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing."

"I didn't learn medical Ninjutsu just so you can go around saying its nothing," Kim said glaring at the blonde.

Rolling his eyes, Deidara complied with her demands. He took a seat on the toilet, and offered his injured arm which Kim took. He let out a low hiss, as his dark haired teammate dabbed at the cut and the surrounding area with disinfectant before letting her hand hover over his bicep. He watched in fascination as the woman's hands started to glow a faint green, and the long jagged cut began to disappear.

"You know, I still can't believe you taught yourself medical Ninjutsu of all things."

"Aren't a forms of Ninjutsu based on theory," Kim said with a shrug. "Besides Sakura's notes are pretty detailed, and I was originally planning on becoming a nurse. I aced all my biology and anatomy classes, It was just a matter of waiting till I was eighteen to enroll in the actual nursing program."

"Why eighteen?"

"I wanted to spend time having fun. Then you guys came along…"

 _Shit,_ Deidara cursed inwardly. His plan to lighten the mood with small talk backfired. _Oh well._

"What do you think is wrong with her," he questioned, interrupting her before she could go on. _Might as well get this out of the way, rather than take a trip down memory lane and think about what could have been._

"I thought I already told you I don't know," Kim retorted, dropping the man's newly healed arm. "But it's like a medically induced coma. There's something disrupting the flow of her chakra. It doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't make any sense is that we're still in the bathroom," Deidara stated blandly which earned him a glare. "I call the first shower!" With that, he was standing and stripping as he turned on the water.

"I'll order Chinese. What do you want," Kim asked as she stepped into her bedroom. She heard the blonde reply with 'the usual.'

Her bedroom was no longer really a bedroom. When the attacks became more brutal, she found herself turning to Sakura's notes more often, and stocking up on first aid supplies. Needless to say, her bedroom became more of a makeshift medical bay, complete with cots, heart monitors and IVs among other useful things.

Her best friend laid in the center of the room on one of the two cots. The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound that could be heard throughout the room. The older woman's chest rose and fell with every breath she took.

Running her fingers through the other woman's hair Kim promised, "I'll do everything I can."

…

Thirty minutes later found the odd duo sitting around the coffee table in front of the television. Take-out boxes were scattered around the low standing table along with various files and a laptop. Kim's fingers flew across the keys while Deidara sat behind her slurping up lo-mien.

The former terrorist's brain tried to keep up with the information that flashed across the screen, but to no avail. He just didn't have the knack for super-speed reading like a certain dark haired princess. That, and it didn't help that the girl had the Sharingan.

"So princess," Deidara said in between slurps of the thick noodles. "Find anything yet?"

His question was answered with a glare.

"I'll take that as a no." He placed his now-empty take-out box on the table. "Alright. Assuming someone else crossed over to this dimension, how exactly do you expect to find him." He stared at the computer screen for a moment. He quirked and eyebrow. "Why are you looking at weather charts? Want to go to the beach or something?"

"Idiot," Kim muttered under her breath. "The night you guys came here, there was freak thunderstorm in the city. There's these satellites that can accurately track the weather forecast for…" She faltered as she took in the blonde's confused stare. "Anyways there wasn't supposed to be a thunderstorm that night-"

"It could've been a coincidence."

She shot him a look. "But I'm thinking it has something to do with you guys. You all did say the rift was caused by Naruto and Sasuke's Jutsu clashing. Wind and lightning. It could have caused the thunderstorm."

"So what, you're going to visit all the possible sites where these strange occurrences took place?"

Kim reached over her laptop and grabbed a tray of dumplings and a pair of chopsticks. Popping a pot sticker in her mouth she said, "Don't be silly. I need to stay here with Jade. You're the one who's going. Make sure to pack light."

…

"C'mon Kim, give me something," Deidara whined into his cell phone. He stared a random couple walking through the park hand-in-hand with slight envy. Three months had passed since he had started this wild goose chase for a person that might not even be there.

There were so many times he wanted to point out that maybe the way they got here was similar to the way the others left a little more than a year ago. Kakashi's time-space teleportation jutsu was the key. Therefore without it, how could anyone else make the jump? It just didn't make any sense.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he seemed to become. He was beginning to think in circles.

Round and round.

Was it just him or was the world beginning to spin.

"Deidara!" was all he was able to hear before everything went dark.

…

"Who are you?" questioned a feminine voice darkly, dripping with hatred and malice.

Deidara tried to take a deep breath but stopped short when he felt the cold steel of a blade pressed firmly up against his throat. _Aw shit!_

It was only then that he became aware of the piece of cloth tied over his eyes, slightly obscuring his vision. From what he could make out through his blind folds, the woman was about the same height as Kim, if not slightly taller, but still shorter than Jade.

The blade. Now that he thought of it, it was most obviously a scalpel. He'd recognize the curve of one any day, no thanks to his crazy eyed teammate always throwing the damn things at him or in his general direction.

Taking in a shallow breath, he could taste the staleness in the air as he inhaled the strong scent of disinfectant and bleach. Shifting his eyes upward without moving his head, he could see the glare of the LED lights.

Beneath him he could feel a cool metal surface beneath his fingertips. An operating table?

A Scalpel, the strong smell of disinfectant, the bright blinding lights, and what he could only assume was an operating table. Then there was the chill in the air. _Oh, kami-sama!_ He really hoped he wasn't tied down in the morgue. Was there even the possibility that he was abducted by some crazy scientist? He would prefer that over the human meat locker.

"I'll ask again. Who. Are. You." She enunciated each word by pressing the blade of her scalpel firmly against his throat.

"The real question here is, who are you?" He never thought he would be so happy to hear the voice of an Uchiha, even if she was only an honorary member of the clan.

 _Annnnd, there it is._ Kim threw a couple scalpels in his direction to free him of his restraints. Honestly, couldn't she just use shuriken like a normal person? Scratch that. No normal person would have any business throwing shuriken in the first place. He'll let it slide this time, she did free him after all.

By the time he managed to raise himself up and off the examining table, Kim had the woman subdued and tied up on the ground.

Deidara shifted uncomfortably while his partner eyed him from head to toe before she asked, "When was the last time you slept?" He shot her a sheepish grin in reply causing her to roll her eyes at his carelessness. "You're file said you fainted from exhaustion."

"So you work for Sargent Asshole," the restrained woman deduced. The woman's medium brown hair fell down her back in a tangled mess, and her large brown eyes were narrowed into slits.

Kim and Deidara shared a look.

"Where are you from," Kim asked.

"No of your damn business!"

"Well, I'm originally from Iwa," Deidara piped in.

The woman gaped at the blonde. When she caught sight of Kim's glowing red eyes, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Please tell me you're here to take me back home," she pleaded, eyes quivering and full of hope.

"Unfortunately no," Kim sadly informed. "That's not exactly possible. Not without the right tools." She stared into the woman's eyes. "Judging from the way you reacted to the Sharingan, I take it you're from Konoha."

"Just to be clear you're not working for the Sargent?"

"No, we're not working for Sargent Bastard," Deidara said with a grin. "We're working against him. Ya know, ruin his plans, and take out as many of his men as possible. All for little Ms. Avenger over here," he finished pointing his thumb in his partner's direction.

"Avenger?"

"Don't listen to him, he's an idiot."

"Hey!"

"Noted."

"Double hey!"

"We should get out of here," Kim stated. "Is there somewhere private we could talk?"

"We could go to this little coffee shop. It's just around the corner."

…

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost fifteen years now," the woman answered Kim's question, giving the waitress a polite smile as she was handed her cup of coffee, and told the young girl her order. "I woke up here when I was twelve."

"When you woke up here, there wasn't anything strange? Like a seemingly random thunderstorm?" Deidara decided to ask. Sending a smirk in Kim's direction.

"Uh, yeah," the woman answered. "There was a lightning storm and an earthquake. Oh and this might sound crazy, but… cat."

"So I'm guessing whoever jumps dimensions, gets turned into a cat," Deidara murmured, trying to ignore Kim's smirk as her hypothesis was proven right, and there actually was some connection between the dimension jumpers and the weather patterns. His brain and his pride hurt.

"How did you manage to turn back?"

"I fell in the lake, and poof," she said mimicking an explosion.

"Haha, like when you dropped Kakashi in the bathtub and almost had a heart attack!"

"Wait!" the woman shouted, jumping up onto her feet. "Kakashi's here!" Her entire body began to tremble with excitement.

"He had to go back," Kim said, having to be the bearer of bad news for the second time that day. "There was a war, and-"

"I get it," the woman said dejectedly. "He's a great ninja. Of course he would have to go back." She took a moment to calm her racing heart, she couldn't believe he had been so close. "Shortly after I got here, I was found by this nice elderly couple who took me in. They were so nice, they gave me a home. I went to school like any other girl. When I graduated, I went to nursing school. After that I started working at the hospital. I would secretly heal the more severe and critical cases with my medical Ninjutsu. The doctors got all the credit, or it was considered a miracle. But that doesn't matter. What does matter was those people got to go home to their loved ones.

It wasn't until about a year ago that I met Sargent Q. He just suddenly appeared in my apartment. He told me he knew what I was. I tried to play innocent, but then he said he wanted my help and he had a place for me in his organization. He said he wanted to save the world. I, like an idiot, believed him.

I went with him that night. At first, he had me healing his men. Then he asked me to train them, and teach them the different skills I knew. After that, they must have figured out everything else on their own. Ninjutsu is based on theory. If you can dream it, you can most likely make it a reality.

But then, I found out what his real intentions were. He wants to take over the world, and I helped him get a few steps closer to achieving his goal. I'm such an idiot." The brunette slumped in her seat.

"It's alright," Kim consoled. She placed a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder. "You couldn't have known. He's good at getting into your head."

"Put simply, he's a damn manipulative bastard," Deidara chimed in, taking a bit of his sandwich.

"I somehow managed to escape three months ago," she continued. "He hasn't come back for me. But I guess he figured I was no match for him and his army."

"I'm guessing that was the same night we raided his hideout," the blonde pondered. "You're a medical ninja, right?" He waited for the woman to nod before he asked what was really on his mind. "Do you think you could help my girlfriend?"

He sat back, eating his sandwich, while the two women discussed Jade's condition. He felt relief wash over his entire being, when the brunette agreed to help and informed them she was familiar with the exact jutsu that caused. He tuned out all the medical mumbo-jumbo, because he got all he needed to know. Jade would be safe, and back in his arms soon enough.

The three finished up their meals and Deidara paid the bill. Kim gave the woman directions to their apartment, and she agreed to meet up with them in a week's time.

"We never got your name. I'm Kim, and he's Deidara."

"I'm Rin Nohara."

 _Shit_ , Rin cursed mentally. Her eyes scanned over the documents on the computer screen before her. _How do Kim and Deidara understand any of this? It's like a completely different language. What's with all these numbers?_

She pulled the USB drive from the chain on her neck, where it was disguised as a pendant. She plugged it into the port, and hit the download button. A box popped up on the screen telling her the percentage of the data that had been transferred over to the small device.

Through her ear piece communicator, she listened silently to her teammates bicker. She was about to turn the link on when she heard the doorknob turn. Thinking quickly, she dimmed the brightness on the computer screen, and leapt out the window, in which she had come in from, and positioned herself on the ledge, just out of view.

A random guard walked in, did a quick sweep of the area, and then left as quickly as he had come. She found it hard to stifle her laughter at her friends' antics. Of course they would be arguing over something so stupid at a time like this. Those fools. Oh, who was she kidding, she was one of them.

As soon as the door shut behind the guard, Rin was back in the room. Checking the screen, there was still 23% left to be downloaded. Just how many files were there?

She caught sight of her reflection in the window. Her long brown hair was braided into a side ponytail. Her brown eyes were shining and full of hope, something she had started to lose a few years ago. She wore an outfit reminiscent of the one she wore in her Genin days. She traded her red knee high socks, for tights. She traded her shirt and shorts for a black romper with ¾ sleeves, although she could do without the slightly revealing neckline, but Jade had insisted and she rather liked the way her husband stared at her. She couldn't forget her white medical apron, which was shorter on length compared to the once she used to wear. Her favorite part of her entire outfit had to be her shoes. A pair of black Tom's; she got to look fashionable and help a child in need.

She was happier than she had ever been since coming to this strange new world.

The screen beeped 100%.

She pulled the USB from the port, and quickly attached it back to the chain around her neck. Without a glance back, she leapt out the window. Gathering chakra to the soles of her feet, she hit the side of the building running. Reaching the ground she stuck close to the side of the building.

As she was about to make a jump across the road, the ground shook with vigor and she was projected forward onto her face. Or at least, she was supposed to land on her face, but a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist stopped her mid fall.

"My hero," she cooed when she caught sight of her husband's grinning face.

"It's what I do," the man replied. "I am Superman."

"So would that make me Lois Lane," she queried with a laugh.

"Babe, I'd catch you any day!"

Two years ago

"Kim! What the hell have you done to the den," Jade yelled as she walked out of the media room. She walked past the kitchen and into the living room. She took in the rearranged furniture, and caught sight of the television. _Well that solves that question._

Kim popped her head out of the bathroom. Pulling the toothbrush from her mouth she replied, "Well you guys kept complaining about me sleeping in the living room." She shrugged her shoulders, and continued to brush her teeth.

"Yeah well, that's because you have your own bedroom, with a bed, to sleep in," the redhead explained crossing her arms and tapping her foot like an annoyed mother.

"Whoa, what happened in here," Deidara exclaimed. "We were only gone a week! Kim!"

Kim threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. Her eyes screaming why-ya-always-gotta-blame-me. She then turned her pleading eyes in Rin's direction.

"You gotta admit it's a way better arrangement," Rin explained. "With med bay in the den, Kim gets her room back. Which means she stays out of the living room at night, and we can watch TV whenever we want."

"She makes the sense," Deidara said as he walked into kitchen. He walked over to the fridge, pulled the door open, and peered inside. His eyes scanned over the contents before closing the door, and opening the freezer. He pulled out a pint of ice cream, grabbing a spoon on the way as he made his way to the living room, and plopping himself down on the couch.

"I always make sense," Rin said, snatching the spoon full of ice cream away from the blonde and shoving it into her mouth, eyes widening in delight from the sweet treat.

"Hey!"

"I guess," Jade moaned in defeat. She looked over to the two on the couch. "Seriously! It's the middle of December. In New York City!"

"The best time to eat ice cream," Kim laughed as she snatched the spoon away from Deidara after he had finally managed to get it back from Rin.

"Oh, c'mon!"

"You guys do realize that it's like," she paused for a moment as she pulled her phone out of her pocket making the screen light up before finishing with, "7:14 in the _morning._ "

"The best time to eat ice cream," Rin echoed Kim's previous statement. "Who doesn't like a little something sweet for breakfast?"

"Whatever," Jade muttered with a roll of her eyes. She walked over to the couch, and took the spoon and the tub of ice cream from her boyfriend. "This is frozen yogurt. Well, I guess this is alright. Lots of people eat yogurt for breakfast."

"I give up!" With that the only male of the group stalked off to the kitchen. "Guess I'll eat some cereal."

"Dei are you frowning in your Lucky Charms?" He shot the Honorary Uchiha a glare. Kim raised her hands in mock surrender.

"So are we still on for movie night tonight," Rin asked.

"As always," Jade and Kim sang.

"Great, more sappy romance," Deidara muttered between bites of his breakfast. "We seriously need more men in this establishment."

"Talking shit again Deidara," Rin snapped at the blonde.

"Whaaat," Deidara scoffed. "Me? No, never."

"Uh-huh."

"Shut it, short shit!"

"I'm not short," Kim yelled.

"Yes you are," Jade and Rin intoned.

"Rin you're like an inch taller than me," Kim deadpanned.

"Taller being the operative word," Rin informed.

"Jer-yahhhhh," Kim screamed as the ground began to shake viciously.

The entire room began to shake. Picture frames fell off the wall. The cabinet doors slammed flew open and plates and bowls fell to the floor, shattering upon impact. The bar stools tipped over. The bowl placed in the center of the island bar shook until it clattered to the ground, sending the fruit inside rolling around. The large bay windows in the living room shattered.

Deidara threw his body over Kim to prevent her from getting sliced by the flying glass shards.

"Thanks," Kim whispered, feeling out of breath.

"Everyone okay," Deidara called out to the other two women, who had managed to take refuge under the coffee table.

"Fine," Rin answered, although talking was a bit hard as she was huddled under the coffee table and shielding her face from falling objects.

Just out the window, cable wires snapped sending sparks flying. With one particular violent quake of the earth, the telephone pole shook and was sent plummeting towards their loft apartment.

"Not fine," Jade warned. "Get the hell out of dodge!"

"Deidara," Jade called out to her boyfriend when she noticed he wasn't behind her.

The blonde leaned heavily against the side of the couch. A shard of glass had lodged itself into his calf. Blood stained his sweatpants and dripped onto the hardwood.

The giant wooden pole crashed into the building, but was stopped by a pair of glowing green ethereal hands.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Kim's partial Susanoo. Although Kim's eyes were wide for a wholly different reason. She couldn't believe it. No once hade she ever tried to delve deeper into the Sharingan's abilities. But it just felt natural, almost instinctual.

"Well, I hope we can still get out safety deposit back, and use it for a new apartment," Deidara joked. "And after we had settled the whole med bay situation too."

…

"I'll have an omelet with chives, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and cheese, with a side of toast," Kim told the waitress at the small diner across the street from what was left of their apartment complex.

"Ooh, I'll have the same," Deidara said from across the table of the booth they shared, where he sat beside Jade, and directly across from Rin. "But I'll have ham instead of mushrooms."

"You guys," Jade laughed. They fought constantly, but she supposed that was only because they had too much in common. Because as they say opposites attract, and identical repel. Well not really, but it has the same meaning. Maybe something like two bulls butting heads? Whatever. "I'll have whatever she's having," she said pointing at Rin.

"Um," Rin hummed as she mulled over what she wanted for breakfast. "I'll have… the blueberry short stack."

"Alright, your orders will be right out," the waitress inform before walking behind the counter and handing the order over to the cook.

Rin, Jade, and Deidara turned to stare at Kim. Said girl sipped on her orange juice as she smiled like a loon, swinging her feet that didn't quite touch the ground. They all knew what she was thinking. An earthquake and a thunderstorm at the same time. Earthquakes on the eastern coast were beyond rare. Then add in the sudden thunderstorm. It all could mean they were about to meet a new friend or foe. Hopefully friend.

"I wonder what idiot got sucked across the dimensional planes," Deidara mused aloud.

"Look at you using big words," Kim mocked. "I'm so proud. Kids, they grow so fast."

Deidara replied by flinging a piece of ice at the girl. He was then promptly smacked upside the head by his girlfriend for taking said piece of ice from her iced coffee.

"Children stop fighting," Rin chided, clicking her tongue.

"Yes grandma," the three retorted.

"Little shits," she grouched. Her voice took on that of a cranky old woman. "Back in my day children knew a little something call respect."

They couldn't hold it in any longer, and bust into fits of laughter.

"Alright let's get down to business," Kim announced when she finally managed to stifle her laughter.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Shut your trap Dei!"

"Which one," the man questioned. He pulled off his black fingerless gloves, and held his hands up in front of Kim's face, three tongues blowing raspberries.

Jade smacked her boyfriend, and Rin prevented her fellow medic-nin from vaulting over the table.

 _It's going to be a long day._

…

"I just got a call from our landlord," Jade announced as she threw her phone onto the coffee table. "He said we can get out deposit back or we can wait a month for repairs, and get two months' rent free."

"I'll go seal away med bay, _again_ ," Kim grumbled as she trudged on over to the den. "It's not like I didn't spend an entire week setting everything up."

"I'll go take down all the… security measures," Deidara mumbled stalking off towards his and Jade's bedroom.

"Those two," Jade screamed in frustration. "Rin, I swear, we are the only normal ones…" She paused midsentence. "Rin what's in the jar?"

Rin held the jar up to the light, exposing the contents held within. "It's a pig's eye." She placed the jar on the scroll and sealed it within. Picking up another jar, she repeated the process.

"I take it back," Jade muttered, "they're all freaks." She heard a crash. "Deidara you better not have dropped my face creams!"

"The freakishly expensive one made with donkey testicles?"

"And she calls us freaks," Kim laughed. "Donkey testicles."

She stopped laughing. What was that? Her Sharingan activated instinctually. Her eyes searched for the powerful surge of chakra. She looked over at Rin who was still busy sealing away her belongings, then to Jade and Deidara who continued to argue. Did they not feel the sudden pulse of chakra? It would appear that, no they hadn't.

Taking one last look at her friends, Kim slowly walked out the door and down the hallway. With the elevator out of service, she had to take the stairs. Glancing down the stairwell, she made sure no one was around. She vaulted over the banister, and plummeted down to the first floor.

She quickly exited the building, and walked along the sidewalk. She threw on a pair of reflective sunglasses. No sense in scaring people with her crazy red vampire eyes, as Deidara once put it after watching some vampire movie.

Getting her mind back on task, she searched for a new chakra signature in the area. There! Towards the outskirts of the city was a large amount of residual chakra. Running up the side of the building, she jumped onto the rooftop and began heading towards the harbor. _Time to pay a visit to Lady Liberty._

 _Well, I guess visiting Lady Liberty, will have to be put off to another day,_ Kim thought gloomily when she caught sight of the chakra signature she was searching for at the top of the Empire State building. Too bad, she was looking forward to taking a ride of the ferry.

Jumping off a building and into a random alley, she rejoined the heavy foot traffic. Maneuvering her way through the heavy crowds of street walkers was trying. People kept bumping into her, and one person even spilled coffee on her shoes. Thank you, Jade, for water resistant boot polish.

Bringing up two fingers in the tiger seal, she transformed into a small black cat. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the way the people of New York and tourists alike steered clear of her. Oh, how superstitious they all were.

Kim undid the transformation once she reached the base the tallest building in the city. Just looking at the top of the building made her legs shake. The thought of actually going up to the top made her stomach churn. A sigh. What other choice did she have? She took a deep breath.

Looking over her shoulder, she eyed the buildings. Walking away from the iconic building she walked the streets until coming to a stop at a random hotel. Entering the building she took the elevator to the rooftop.

No one was out as the rooftop restaurant was closed for the season. She dusted the snow off one of the metal benches before taking a seat. From where she sat she had a good view of the Empire State building.

She took a deep breath. Flaring her chakra, she created a signal.

The empty restaurant on the rooftop of the hotel, was the perfect place to call out to this new arrival. It was terribly frigid outside, but it was better than being surrounded by hordes of tourists. If this new arrival turned out to be a foe rather than a friend, it was better that there were no one around to get hurt.

Thump.

Opening her eyes, Kim came face to face with the newest arrival to their dimension. Although, she wasn't expecting a half-naked homeless person.

"I am not a homeless person," the man practically growled.

"Heh-heh, I said that out loud, didn't I?" The man's only response was to scowl at her. "First question, what are your goals in life."

The man gave her a questioning stare. "I was supposed to be dead, but then I ended up here. How am I even alive?"

"Eh, dunno." Kim shrugged, earning an are-you-kidding-me look from the man. He was pretty tall. Well practically everyone was tall compared to her. His hair was dark much like his eyes. Like all ninja he was physically fit. She had to admit, he was quite handsome.

"Who the hell are you, anyways?"

"I am Kimberly, but I prefer Kim; Honorary Uchiha." At that the man blanched. "Who are you?"

"Obito Uchiha." It was Kim's turn to be shocked into silence.

"So… Obito," she said throwing an arm over the man's shoulder. "Let's get you some clothes. Ya'know make you look less like a hobo, and more of an _upstanding_ citizen. Then we can have a long talk as we make our way to visit Lady Liberty."

"Uh, okay."

"Second question, shouldn't you have some hideous scars on your face?"

"Home sweet home," exclaimed Jade. She strut through the front door to the living room where she vaulted over the back of the couch, and face planted on the cushions. A loud groan escaped her lips as her body settled deeper into the sofa.

Kim ran through the door straight to her bedroom. Racing through the small space, she picked up a pair of pajama shorts, a random t-shirt, and underwear. She then hightailed it to the bathroom, shoving a bickering Deidara and Obito out of her way, and slamming the door shut behind her.

Banging and shouting ensured.

Kim let out a mad cackle in response, sending a shiver down everyone's spine.

The two men stopped their loud protest of being beaten to the bathroom when they heard the sound of running water on the other side of the door. Grumbling, they made their way to the living room.

"Move your legs woman," Deidara grouched, lifting his girlfriend's boot clad legs up, and plopping down on the couch with a tired groan. "Someone order food, I'm starving."

Obito was about to tell the man to order food himself if he was so damn hungry, but that was before Rin shared her sentiments. "I could go for some Italian."

"Ooh! If we're getting Italian, Tony's is the best," informed Kim, stepping out of the steaming bathroom.

"Let me guess," Obito said sarcastically, "You went there on a date?"

"Bingo," said Kim, giving the man a saucy smile and a wink.

Jade and Deidara exchanged looks.

It was always like that between Kim and Obito. It was only because, after all the time the man spent training her in the ways of the Sharingan, Obito had come to see the little spitfire as something like a sister. So when his precious little sister went out pretty much every weekend with some new guy every time, well… he was anything but pleased. It wouldn't have been so bad, but somewhere down the line, Kim had started to target men who had obvious ties with the Sargent, trying to drag out as much information as possible before the night's end. Obito never made it a point to conceal his distaste.

"I could go for some lasagna," Jade stated in an attempt to break the tension that Kim seemed to be oblivious to, although she knew that was not the case. After that comment, everyone proceeded to give their orders, and Obito and Rin were sent out for pickup duty.

Rin stared worriedly at Obito's back as he stalked ahead of her down the sidewalk. His shoulders were tense, his fists were clenched tightly, and she could practically hear his teeth grinding in aggravation. From the way a drunkard ran away screaming, she was sure he was sporting a fierce glare. He probably had unconsciously activated his Sharingan as well.

She was practically jogging, trying to keep pace with her husband.

He slowed his pace. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Rin replied.

"I just… get scared," Obito admitted, although it came out more as a question than an admission. He ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know. After all the shit I put Itachi and Sasuke through, I want to protect her."

"She's twenty years old. She's the kind of person who takes care of everyone," Rin tried to reason.

"Yeah, well who's going to take care of her," Obito shot back. "She can't spend the rest of her life alone. I have you, Jade and Deidara have each other, but who does she have?"

Rin stayed silent. She didn't know how to respond to that. Or even counter it. Kim was a single girl living with two couples. She must get lonely. Or does she? It was really hard to tell with that girl. She never complained about being lonely. She went on plenty of dates, but so did a lot of women her age. Maybe she was just searching for _the one_ , and hadn't found him yet.

"Yeah well, she sure is taking her damn time," Obito muttered, holding the door to Tony's open for the woman at his side.

Rin stared at him in shock. Had she really said that out loud? Oh, well.

"Maybe she's being thorough," Rin supplied.

Obito scoffed. "I feel sorry for the poor bastard who ends up with her."

The glow of the laptop screen was the only light within the smallest bedroom of the three bedroom apartment. Sharp, swift clicks broke through the silence of the room as Kim's fingers flittered across the keyboard. Colors and images reflected in the woman's large brown eyes with every file opened and closed.

At long last, at six-something in the morning, Kim had successfully decrypted the _borrowed_ files from the flash drive. Normally she would have had Deidara's assistance, but when she tried and failed to fall asleep, she gave up on sleeping altogether, and decided to take a crack at trying to figure out just what exactly Sargent Quinn had in store for them.

She lifted her hands above her head, arching her back. The sound of her back and arms popping made her wince. Placing her laptop on her nightstand, Kim rolled around her queen sized bed in an attempt to rid herself of the tingling sensation in her legs.

Staring off into the darkness, her mind began to whirl with possibilities and plans. What she had read in those files left her feeling disoriented and heartbroken. She felt hatred on a scale she never knew existed. Not once in her life had she ever felt such hatred for a single person.

After reading through most of the files, one thing she knew for certain, she needed to speak with Obito. In private.

But first she had to inform the others of what she found.

Just as the sunlight began to illuminate her room, Kim hopped out of bed and set off to round up the others for an emergency team meeting.

"W-what," was the only thing that came out of everyone's mouths after hearing what Kim had found in the files. Under different circumstances, Kim would have doubled over laughing at their goldfish-like expressions – eyes wide, mouths gaping – but her features remained stoic.

"It'll be like the Uchiha massacre, but only on a larger scale," muttered Deidara, tugging at the ends of his cropped hair.

"There were only about 200 Uchiha," informed Obito. "We're talking a third of the world's population. Gone." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that. If we're going to compare this madness to something, it's more like Nagato's old plan."

"What exactly does he expect to gain from that," Jade roared, jumping to her feet in outrage, her wild red hair making her look like an angry lion. She began pacing behind the sofa.

"World domination, world peace, un," Deidara drawled sarcastically, his verbal tic momentarily making a reappearance.

"Exactly," Kim stated darkly, Mangekyou Sharingan whirling.

"Are you fucking serious," Deidara yelled incredulously. "How exactly is his plan supposed to work, un?"

They all turned to look at Kim.

"First of all, we know Quinn is a tactical genius. After he conned that little only lady into singing her multi-billion dollar company over to him, he has vast resources and great power." She paused for a moment, staring out the window, trying to formulate her thoughts. "To put it simply, he believes the world has gone to shit, and needs his guiding hand to makes the right. By wiping out a third of the population, he will spread planet wide panic. When the world is in chaos, he will then step up as its new leader, and bring back order. People will follow him. The only thing we don't know, is how he plans to do it."

"Why the hell can't anyone ever achieve peace through, oh I don't know, peaceful means," Rin asked rhetorically.

"Because they're all extremists," Jade muttered.

"Like those activist people," Obito said with a shudder. He still remembered a time, not to long ago, when… never mind. He didn't even want to go there. It was a dark day. He looked over at Kim, who was now sitting crossed-legged on the coffee table. "So what's the plan, O'Fearless Leader-sama?"

"In one of the files, there was something about shipments being sent to the Arctic Circle." Kim bit her lip in thought. "I think I'd be worth a shot to check it out."

"Oh yay, penguins," Deidara joked.


	2. What Did She Do

CHAPTER TWO

WHAT DID SHE DO

The explosive's expert cursed, trying to regain his footing on the side of the rocky cliff. He was thrown off balance when the rock he held onto broke off. Pitching backwards, he tumbled down the side of the cliff. Kicking off the rocky surface and while mid-air, he reached back into the bag hooked to his belt, and pulled out a handful of clay. Quickly molding the wad, he shaped it into a bird. Tossing the bird into the air, his hands flashed through a sequence of seals. As the bird enlarged to its desired size, he leapt onto to the clay construct's back.

"You okay," Jade called out to the blond, sliding down the rock wall with practiced ease as landing on a ledge. It would seem all those mountain climbing trips with dear old daddykins, mommy dearest, and the terror twins was actually beneficial in ways other than eroding her sanity. "That was quite the fall."

Deidara didn't respond as he offered a hand to his girlfriend, and hoisted her up to sit behind him atop the large clay bird. His hand instinctively moved to grab hold of hers when she wrapped her arms around his waist.

The last thing he remembered before waking up at the top of that cliff, was... "Ahhg!"

"Calm down," Jade shouted, trying to keep the twenty-one year old man from falling off their ride. She instantly knew what the man had tried to do from her own attempts. "Don't try to think about what happened. It'll only end with you feeling like someone's taking a jackhammer to your skull."

"Good to know," he rasped out through the pain. When he realized he was laying flat on his back, he took Jade's assistance in helping him sit up and moved to retake his seat with the woman following his motions. "Where are the others?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, resting her head on his shoulder. "When I woke up, I tried using the comm. link, but there wasn't any signal, only static."

"Did you try sensing their chakra?"

"Yeah," Jade sighed, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "I got nothing."

Deidara squeezed her hand in reassurance. Although he still worried for the others, he knew they could all take care of themselves, but he couldn't help but worry about them. Rin and Obito would be fine. Rin could sweet talk her way out of any situation, and Obito was considered to be one of the strongest shinobi alive and an Uchiha. It was Kim who really had him worried. He wasn't really worried about something happening to her, no, he was more worried about her happening to someone.

His cool blue eyes scanned the much too familiar rocky terrain below. It was just like Earth Country. With his heart caught in his throat, he changed his course of direction and headed west.

"What's that place down there," questioned Jade, pointing towards the large stone wall in the distance.

"Iwa," Deidara whispered, guiding the bird to land at the front gate.

"Incoming," Jade whispered in his ear, tightening her hold on the blond's midsection.

Deidara swerved his clay construct to the right, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the shower of quicklime, sending him and his girlfriend tumbling down the road leading to the village gates. Pushing the redhead behind him, he took on a protective stance as he called out, "Kurotsuchi!"

"You know her," Jade asked as she jumped up to her feet and stood behind the man. In any other situation, she would be frustrated at her boyfriend for trying to protect her, but they were in unfamiliar territory and she had to believe the blond knew what he was doing.

"She's the old man's granddaughter," Deidara replied, not taking his eyes off the woman flying in his direction, even as she landed before them.

"Kurotsuchi! We come in peace!" He held his arms up in surrender, a bright smile on his face.

"D-Deidara," Kurotsuchi whispered, recognizing the man from her childhood. The only difference she could see was his shorter hair. The man she remembered always kept his hair long. The man she knew was also gone. As the shock wore off, she narrowed her eyes at the imposter. "Yeah, right. I wasn't born yesterday. Deidara was sent to a different dimension!"

"Yeah, about that... I somehow crossed back over, and now here I am," the blond replied, arms held out wide and welcoming. He should have known it would take more than a 'Hello, I'm back' to make the girl believe he was who he claimed to be.

"What happened to your speech impediment," Kurotsuchi interrogated, pulling out a kunai from the holster on her thigh, and slipping into a defensive stance.

"It was a fucking verbal tic, un," the man raged, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Besides it mostly went away after that electro therapy," Jade said helpfully, drawing the other girl's attention to herself.

"And who is she," the Tsuchikage's granddaughter questioned threateningly, eyeing the redheaded woman who stood casually beside the man who claimed to be her childhood friend. Judging by the color of her hair, the woman could be of Uzumaki decent. Her clothes were some of the strangest she had ever seen. The woman wore a black crop top and jean shorts, a dark green button up shirt left unbuttoned and black ankle booties, and a pair of black gloves. _Quite the harlot_ , Kurotsuchi thought in distaste.

"My girlfriend, Jade," Deidara said simply, like it should've been common knowledge.

Well, that certainly threw her for a loop. Everyone had assumed the man to be gay or too in love with his work to ever find someone.

"What's going on out here," the Tsuchikage asked, landing beside his granddaughter.

"Old man, long time no see," Deidara greeted when the man's eyes landed on his.

"You little-" That was as far as the Tsuchikage got before he took to the sky and began his assault on his former disciple.

"Should we stop them," Jade asked the woman standing beside her. Her only response was a nasty glare. _Okay, then_. She really hoped the others were having an easier time, and if they weren't, _Kim, please don't do anything stupid!_

"Bleh!" Rin gagged, the taste of mud, she hoped it was mud, not suiting her palette. Her stomach lurched with the horrid taste, making her want to hurl, and the putrid smell only serving to make it worse. Not to mention, she was covered head to toe in the stuff.

She carefully and slowly trudged through the muddy waters, not wanting to slip and fall in again. It would seem she had landed herself in a marsh. Reaching out for the lowest branch of the nearest tree, she hoisted herself up and out of the dirty water, trying her best to fight back a cry of pain as she did so. Once back on land, she leaned heavily against the trunk of the tree as she struggled to breathe. Shutting her eyes, she did the best she could to remove most of the gunk on her face.

 _Where am I? Where are the others? What happened to Antarctica,_ she thought, placing a chakra coated hand over her rib cage to access her injuries. Luckily she didn't have any broken ribs, they were just bruised and sore. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her senses to broaden in search of any nearby chakra signatures. Finding none, her body to slump against the tree trunk in exhaustion. She then tried her comm. link, but all she got was static.

Although she didn't find and chakra signatures around, but she was able to sense the chakra of nature. She could feel it in the trees and in the air. The entire area was permeated with natural energy in a way only the Elemental Nations could be. Had she somehow returned home? At what point in time did she returned to? Did she return back to the time in which she had left? Was she going to be stuck with teenaged-virgin version of her husband?

"Hey," a soothing voice called out to her, making her jump in fright and instinctively launch a barrage of kunai in its direction. Turning around, to face the man she was met with the sight of her husband... her adult husband. Obito held his hands up in a placating gesture, as he joked with a laugh, "I mean you no harm."

"I'm so sorry," Rin cried out. The woman struggled to her feet and launched herself at the man, wrapping her arms around his waist. Pushing him back, she stared at him in confusion. "I didn't sense any chakra signatures around." He allowed the three tomoe of his Sharingan to spin lazily in answer to her question of how he had gotten there: _Kamui._ "Okay... but how did you know where to find me?"

"Your tracking bracelet." He held up her wrist where the small black cord was. They silently stared at the little silver device with the blinking red light, remembering how Kim and Deidara had been working on them and had given it to her to test. At the time, they would get annoyed with the two randomly showing up wherever they were, now they were grateful for the little device.

Speaking of, "You don't think Kim had something to do with this?" She didn't like putting the blame on the other girl, but even she had to admit the girl did make it a habit of finding trouble, albeit unintentionally.

The Uchiha rubbed the back of his neck. "It's possible but since we can't remember anything, it's hard to say."

"What do you suggest we do now," Rin asked. It was starting to get dark out and she could already feel the night chill creep up her spine, only made worse by the fact that she had recently taken a plunge into the muddy waters. "Where are we?"

Obito gave her a tight smile. "We've somehow managed to cross back over to the Elemental Nations." From the look on his wife's face, he knew he had just confirmed her suspicions. Where exactly they were in the Elemental Nations, he wasn't quite sure. Even before he crossed dimensions he didn't make it a habit to visit marshes.

"So, you can teleport us out of here and back to Konoha!" Rin's eyes had lit up like the Christmas tree Deidara and Kim insisted on having, at the prospect of returning home at long last.

"I can't my chakra levels are too low," he said, feeling something inside him break at the sight of his love's downcast eyes. "The most I can do right now, is probably get us both into the sub-dimension."

"Okay." Rin nodded in understanding. "Maybe we could make camp-"

"In a marsh?"

"Or we could look for a village with an inn to stay the night at."

"Preferably one with an onsen because, no offense," he playfully sniffed the air around her, "you stink."

"Don't be mean," Rin whined, with a pout.

"Really bad. Peel your paint bad." With that he took off in a sprint.

"Obito!"

Glaring up at the sky through the canopy of the trees, Kim knew they had fucked up. Even though she couldn't remember anything past arriving in Antarctica, she knew that the blame would wind up being placed solely on her. In the meantime, while she tried to remember what went wrong, she would continue to lay in the soft grass as the sun warmed her body. Penguins were cute, but she grew up in Southern Texas and she couldn't stand to be out in the cold for too long.

She mentally cursed her luck when she heard the sound of the leaves rustling. There was no breeze, therefore the trees should be still and silent. Sitting up, she crossed her legs like she had done in elementary school and placed her hands on her knees while sitting up straight.

Soon after she sat up, threes figures appeared before her. To the right was a boy wearing a green body suit with orange leg warmers and bandaged hands. He sported a what could only be described a bowl-cut hairstyle and had the thickest eyebrows she had ever seen. To the left stood a girl sporting a long-sleeved, high-collared white blouse with maroon edges, puffy maroon hakama-styled pants, and black fingerless gloves. The girl wore her hair in a way that reminded Kim of how she used to wear her own hair as a child in two buns. The boy standing in the center reminded her of Hinata with his pale lavender eyes and his long soft-looking hair made her jealous. He wore a white kimono-shirt with long, loose sleeves and matching pants along with a gray apron tired around his waist.

She instantly knew who the trio were just by looking at them. Naruto and Sakura had a lot to say about their friends in Konoha. _Konoha_. Her heart began to race when she realized where she was.

Should she be the first to speak or should she wait on them? Should she tell them who she was or that she knew who they were? Would that set then on edge? What story had the others spun to explain her father? _Dad!_ She would get to see him again.

Her head snapped back to the girl on the left when she moved to take a step forward.

"Ah... uh... we mean you no harm," the girl, Tenten, explained as she took a step back at Kim's intense gaze.

"Tenten is correct," the unmistakable Rock Lee stated, standing up straight. "We were the team chosen to investigate."

Kim tilted her head to the side, a clear sign of confusion. Had she done something wrong? She only remembered waking up on the forest floor about an hour ago.

"What Lee means to say is, there was a sudden surge of chakra in the area," Neji resolved, "and we were sent out to find the source."

How could she forget, whenever some one crossed over to her home dimension there was always a sign. Surely that must be then case when she hopped dimensions. Curiouser and curiouser.

Tenten swallowed her nervousness and once again stepped forward. "If you could just come back to the village with us, I'm sure we could have all this resolved and put behind us in no time."

"All right sounds like a plan," Kim chirped, shocking them with her surprisingly kind voice as she sprung up to her feet. Rocking in her heels, she said, "Lead the way."


	3. Getting There

CHAPTER THREE

GETTING THERE

The battle between Deidara and the Third Tsuchikage was short lived, ending when the old man through out his back with a painful cry and a sickening crackle of his spine. Deidara and the girl named Kurotsuchi rushed forward in an attempt to catch him, the man pushing the blond away in anger while screaming a string of expletives that would have made even their Honorary Uchiha gasp in shock.

Jade could only stand off to the side after she the man's granddaughter heads told her to stay put, stating that they didn't need her assistance. She was getting the vague feeling that she had stepped into one of her trashy romance novels. The sort of story that would start off with the two lovers going home to meet the man's family, who didn't approve of his girlfriend, and the plot usually involved a love triangle, something she honestly didn't want to have to deal with. There was no way she would let come to that, but if push came to shove, she wouldn't hesitated to beat a...

"Jade," Deidara called out, abruptly snapping the woman out of her thoughts. "Get over here! He needs help to walk!"

While discreetly maintaining a cautious eye on the Tsuchikage's granddaughter's back, the redheaded woman hurried over to stand at the old man's side. As she approached the group of Iwa-nin, she couldn't help but hesitate, only moving forward when she felt the blond's encouraging hand placed at her lower back as he silently urged her forward. Siding up to the old man, Jade held his right hand in her own as her left hand hovered over the short man's back for extra support. Her hazel green eyes met the distinctive pink eyes of the other woman, and she couldn't help the shiver that traveled down her spine when she met the woman's glare.

"Why thank you, young lady," Onoki cooed graciously at the redhead, clutching onto her hand as he shamelessly stared at her... eyes while the woman was looking over her shoulder.

"Watch it, gramps," Deidara warned, moving to stand on the other side of his girlfriend. He glared down at his former mentor, who lifted his head to return the glare with one of his own. It was only when the two women cleared their throats, that the two men got themselves under control as they began their trek down the dirt path that would take them to the hidden village that laid beyond the towering stone walls.

Soon the group had made their way through the gates of Iwa and were headed to the Tsuchikage's Tower. Thanks to Deidara's short hair and different clothes, he was able to walk out in the open without being recognized, although that didn't stop him from throwing on a pair of sunglasses. Luckily, for Jade, she was from a different dimension, meaning no one could possibly have anything against her, and there were no other instances regarding the female Iwa-nin.

Finally, after a long silence filled with glares, they had arrived at their destination of the Tsuchikage's office.

The moment the door was shut behind them, Okoki climbed on top of his desk and stared his former disciple in the eyes. "What the hell did you do?"

"It wasn't me," Deidara cried, growing frustrated. It was just like when he was a kid, he was always held accountable, even for the things he hadn't done. He refused to take the blame for... whatever it was that happened. Even though he couldn't remember anything past arriving in the frozen tundra, he knew the blame wasn't solely on him. It was probably more of a group effort.

"Honestly," Jade began, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Onoki regarded her curiously while his granddaughter blankly stared at her with a slight scowl of annoyance. "It was more than likely a group effort." She shifted nervously, sending a quick glance to Deidara.

"More than likely," Kurotsuchi parroted, eyes narrowed at the woman's choice of words. "You mean you don't know."

"That's not-"

"So you mean to tell us-"

"That's enough," Deidara demanded, putting an end to the argument before it could escalate any Kurotsuchi could begin to protest, the blond shot her a silencing glare. The man turned his intense blue-eyed stare towards the village leader. Without giving the man a chance to utter a single word, Deidara launched into a detailed report, starting from when he had decided to stay in the new world up until he arrived in the Land of Penguins and waking up on the side of a cliff to when he fended off the pink-eyed girl's assault. "That's all we know."

"Interesting," the aging man mused, having taken a seat in his chair sometime during the blond's tale.

Onoki had heard the stories of the other world. It was during the initial formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces, that a secret meeting was held, and the Five Kate were surprised to see the faces of two powerful ninja seemingly back from the dead and to learn of their inter-dimensional travels to a world without the use of chakra. They, the Iwa-nin especially, were shocked to learn of their former comrade's choice to stay behind.

Ever since that meeting, he knew there were some things that had been omitted, whether they had deemed them unnecessary details or otherwise. Looking at the redheaded woman standing beside the blond, he now understood why the boy had made the choice he did. Throughout the tale, there was one name that stood out most; the name of the man who had helped start the war, but had also given his life to end it.

"Kurotsuchi, you're dismissed."

"But grandfather-"

"Also, if you could arrange accommodations for our guests-"

"Wait a-"

"I need to speak with the Hokage."

Once his grand daughter was out of his office, he cleared his head before he could develop a migraine, and came to the realization that he was much to old to deal with the shenanigans of younger generations.

Together the couple slowly made their way out of the wetlands with only experienching a few hiccups, such as Rin pushing her husband into the murky water when he became too unbearable. Soon the moist muddy ground turned to dry land as they finally caught sight of a well traveled path that curved around a large lake. Sunlight danced across the still surface of the lake, forcing the two to stop and stare at the inviting waters with matching grins.

"Shall we," Rin asked, biting her lip in contemplation. She turned her wide brown eyes over to her husband, her excitement evident. She didn't want to take the plunge alone.

"We shall," Obito said in agreement before grabbing her hand and racing down the pier. Before he reached the edge of the pier, he lifted her up into the air and spun her around before using the wind up to launch her out into the deep end. He frowned when she rolled midair and landed in a crouch on the water's surface. Dread filled him as a wave built up beneath her feet, and before he could even process it, a mini tsunami surged right passed him leaving him soaked to the bone and free of mud. "Oh, its on!"

Some time later, the two found themselves back on track and headed towards the nearest village. While they had been laying out on the pier to dry off, a family of travelers told them the way to the nearest village and after thanking them, the couple set off.

"Has your chakra replenished any," the brunette asked curiously, swinging their interlocked hands.

Obito pulled a face at the woman. "No. I depleted what little I had available to keep from drowning... because of you."

She gave him a half cheeky, half apologetic smile. It wasn't her fault that she had somehow retained a decent-sized portion of the three-tails' chakra, thus making her all the more powerful for it. When she had first made the discovery of the demonic chakra within her, she... honestly she didn't know what to think. A part of her believed that the three-tails' chakra was the reason she was sent over to the other dimension. As much as it scared her, she had the Sanbi to thank for her having been able to escape Sargent Asstown; it was that extra surge of chakra that saved her live when she had been fatally wounded.

The brunette fought back a shiver at the memory, it was in the past and as she looked at the man she loved, she was brought back to the present. "For such a fearsome ninja, your evasion skills could use some work."

"Really? You're gonna go there," Obito asked, his tone warning. He attempted to glare at her, but soon broke out into a bright smile. He just couldn't stay mad at her.

"We're almost there," Rin announced, picking up her pace and dragging the man along with her.

She led them through the gates of the small village, only stopping once to get directions from a kindly old woman. It was close to three in the afternoon by the time they made it to the only inn in the entire village. Getting a room was a cinch. Luckily for them, Obito had some money stashed away in his pocket dimension and they were able to pay for their room upfront and even have a late lunch sent over to their room.

Rin sat by the shoji doors that lead outside to the inn's garden where she eyed the small koi pond. With a dreamy sigh, she said, "This is like the honeymoon we never had."

"If you count getting tossed into another dimension after a botched mission as romantic then... power to you," Obito drawled. He placed the tray with their lunch on the floor beside his wife before getting himself situated on the floor. He flipped over the cups and proceed to filled them, passing one over to the woman who took a sip. "I, for one, expected more lace and not as much mud."

"Shut up," Rin snorted into her tea, swatting the man on the shoulder. Then with a smirk, she added, "What if I was naked under all that mud?"

"Woman," the Uchiha groaned, the mental image his mind conjured left him feeling excited. "When you put it like that, I would've been happy even if you were in your underwear."

"We can get to that after we visit the hot spring," she suggested with mischievous grin. "No mud this time."

"You're killing me." He looked over to his wife and let out a sigh, his mood changing as his mind began to settle. "All joking aside, we still don't know what we're going to do about... everything. I mean... we got thrown back into our home dimension. We don't even know if it was just us, or if the others came along too. Then there's the fact that I might still be a wanted criminal... Deidara too. Kim has the Sharingan, so if anyone sees it, they might get suspicious or mistake her for another rogue Uchiha. Jade looks like a fucking Uzumaki, so..."

"There's no telling if the others crossed over with us, but," she gave the man a pointed glare when he made to interrupt her, silencing him. "But... Deidara is great at coping with the unexpected, and Jade can be very... persuasive." She liked to think the best of her friends and didn't want to call the girl manipulative. "Not to mention, Kim has been an amazing leader so far. I doubt she'd do anything rash."

"I know," Obito bemoaned as he laid on the ground with his arms behind his head. Ever since he had woken up back in his home dimension with a near-depleted chakra supply, he couldn't shake the unease that festered within him. Turning on his side, he looked his best friend in the eyes. "I think... it's my fault we got brought here."

"Obito," Rin started with a sigh, "I don't think-"

"No, you don't get it," he interjected, cutting her off. "I'm the only one that could have done it." Absentmindedly, his hands wove through a series of seals, but he didn't seem to notice. "Sometime after I woke up in New York and Kim recruited me, she... she told me how the others got sent back. Kakashi used my Sharingan to teleport everyone back. She gave me the jutsu formula and notes he used, since I'm the only one that can actually use it."

"What are you saying?"

He stared into her brown eyes. "The jutsu was meant to be a failsafe. I think the situation got to the point where it became a suicide mission, and I got us out of there and brought us here. If the others aren't here, then they-"

"They're dead,"Rin finished, her features displaying outright horror. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to steady herself but her hands still shook. "We don't know that for sure. They're probably scattered somewhere here in the Elemental Nations." She placed a calming hand on his should, meeting his eyes when he turned to face her. With a gentle smile, she reassured him. "Kim is like your little sister. You love to torment Deidara and tease Jade. We're like a family. I know for a fact that you brought them along with us."

"I hope that's the case."

"It is. Besides, if anything, we have to worry about the damage those three could cause together."

"So... it's best to hope that they were separated, for the sake of the Elemental Nations?"

"Exactly!"

"That's even worse!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"Why would you say that?"

"I was trying to be optimistic!"

Sniffling after a rather intense sneeze, the Honorary Uchiha couldn't help the scowl that took over her features or the dark aura that had surrounded her. She just knew the others were blaming her for the situation they must have found themselves in. Joke's on them. She couldn't have been the one to activate the jutsu to travel across dimensions, her Mangekyou Sharingan gave her completely different power; a power that left her too afraid to actually utilize it, and just thinking about it left her feeling nauseated.

It didn't do well do dwell on the things she couldn't remember, especially when it only resulted in excruciating migraines. She had no doubt that the others crossed dimensions with her, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before they regrouped.

Unbeknownst to her, Team Gai had been put on edge by her unconscious death glare that was unintentionally directed at the back of their heads.

Looking passed the trio in front of her, she could just make out the wooden gates with the same symbol as was on the Leaf-ninja's forehead protectors. With every step she took, the bigger the gates seemed to become. Unfortunately, she didn't get to walk through the green gates as she was led along the perimeter of the tall stone wall surrounding the entirety of the village and through a side entrance. Team Gai lead her through the village, making sure to stay out of sight. Soon they led her through the back door of what she assumed was the Hokage's tower, if she remembered correctly.

She was led up two flights of stairs and down the hallway, stopping in front of a door. Tenten was the one to knock, and when she received an annoyed, "Come in," she pushed the door open.

Sitting behind a wooden desk, partially obscured by stacks of paperwork, sat Tsunade Senju the Fifth Hokage. Her blonde pigtails were askew and she kept pushing the lose strands of hair behind her ear as she poured herself another dink. When Neji made to speak, the woman silenced him by holding up a single finger while slowly sipping at her drink.

"You know," Kim drawled, leaning back against the closed door with her arms crossed. She ignored the nervous glances Team Gai sent between her and their volatile Hokage. "If you want to take your time nursing that drink, I could go out and get something to eat. I've wanted to try Ichiraku's for awhile now. So..."

Tsunade set her cup down on the tray with a quiet clink. She rested her elbows on the desk, lacing her fingers together. Leaning forward, she stared intently at the dark haired woman. Giving Team Gai a blank stare, she ordered, "You three, dismissed."

"Yes, Lady Hokage," Neji and Tentan said in unison, giving a slight bow. Lee was about to protest, but was promptly dragged out of the room by his teammates.

Once the door was shut, Tsunade directed her full attention to the other woman in the room. "Your father told me so much about you." She reached down to pull open a drawer, pulling out a cup, identical to her own, from within and offered Kim a drink.

"Did he, now," Kim laughed as she lifted herself up to take a seat at the corner of the desk, crossing her legs. She took the cup of sake that was offered and took a sip, savoring the new flavor. It had slightly sweet taste, something like cherry blossoms, but it didn't compare to fruit infused vodka. She remembered that she had quite a few bottles, more like an entire liquor store, of her favorites sealed away in a couple of scrolls. Once she had regenerated enough chakra, she might share a bottle with the blonde.

"He did," the Senju confirmed, refilling her glass, not bothering with the social norm of having her drinking partner do it for her. She cocked her head to the side, watching the other woman. "I, personally, still cant get over the fact that you managed to charm three of the most stubborn men to come out of this village."

Kim held her hands up un defense, knowing exactly who Tsunade was referring to. "They came to me, not the other way around. I'm much too awkward to even approach men like them. I mean... have you seen them?"

"Trust me, I have," Tsunade smirked. "But they're much too young for my tastes. Your father on the other hand..."

"Let's not go there," Kim interjected, stopping the woman before she could continue. She knew her father was considered attractive to a number of women, but the thing about that was... he was her father.

"Whatever you say," the Hokage sang, sliding the bottle over to the younger woman. "If you're wondering about the others, most of them are out of the village on missions, your father included."

"So... it's a matter of waiting around for them to get back." Kim swung her legs back and forth, softly tapping the side of the desk with her heels as she hummed in thought. "Do you think you could unseal some things for me?"

"Like what," the blonde asked, her curiosity piqued.

From the stories she had been told of the woman sitting casually on her desk, she had been interested in meeting the girl. Even more so, when she learned of her possessing the Sharingan and the effect it had on the village elders. Anyone who could piss off the old crones without having met them was good in her books. The confidence the dark haired girl held herself with was also refreshing. Her resemblance to Mikoto Uchiha was... she hadn't believed the two brothers, but with the woman right in front of her, she could no longer deny it.

"I have some drinks from my dimension sealed away for safe keeping," was the reply. "If you're invested. I can show you one of my favorites."

"Don't just sit there, hand them over!"


End file.
